UNIT 20 

 ALASKA SHELLFISH FISHERIES 



Shrimp and Sea Snail 



The norchern pink shrimp is the most impor- 

 tant ot the five species making up Alaska shrimp 

 landings. The domestic shrimp fishery in western 

 Alaskan waters is currently at a low level. Shrimp 

 abundance is also too low in the Bering Sea to 

 support a commercial fishery. The western Gulf 

 oi Alaska has been the main area of" operation. Dur- 

 ing the 1970's, when the fishery was more pro- 

 ductive, 50-100 vessels trawled for shrimp at 

 Kodiak Island and along the Alaska Peninsula. 



Shrimp landings in the western Gulf during 

 1960-90 (Figure 20-3) show that catches rose 

 steadily to about 58,000 t in 1976 and then de- 

 clined precipitously. Since 1988, negligible 

 amounts have been landed, almost all ot it com- 

 ing from Southeast Alaska. Ex-vessel revenue from 

 the western shrimp fisheries averaged $4,000,000 

 annuall)', and \'ielded a peak revenue ot 

 514,000,000 in 1977. Bering Sea shrimp catches 

 by Russia and Japan peaked at 32,000 t in 1963, 

 declining gradually thereafter, until the fishery 

 ended in 1 973. As with crabs, the potential yields 

 of shrimp stocks in Alaska are not well understood, 

 and they have been equated to average catches. 

 Shrimp are managed by regulating catch levels ac- 

 cording to stock abundance. In addition, spring 

 "egg hatch" closures are used to protect breeding 

 stocks. 



The Japanese pot fishery tor snails, conducted 

 from about 1972 until ending in 1987, peaked at 

 about 13,000 t in 1974. Annual catches averaged 

 about 4,800 t during the period ot the fishery. The 

 snail stocks of the Bering Sea are underutilized be- 

 cause they are onlv lightlv harvested, with five ves- 

 sels participating in the Bering Sea during 1996. 



Landings 

 (X 1,000 t) 



180 - 

 160 - 

 140 - 

 120 - 

 100 - 

 80 - 

 60 - 

 40 - 

 20 - 

 - 



Abundance 

 (x 1.000,000 

 crabs) 



Tanner crab 

 (Bering Sea and 

 Aleutian Islands) 



Year 



Figure 20-2 



Landings in metric tons (t) 

 and abundance trends of 

 Tanner and snow crabs in 

 Ihe Gulf of Alasl<a and 

 Bering Sea. 



Landings 

 (x 1,000 t) 



Shrimp (Gulf of Alaska) 



Sfirimp (Bering Sea 

 and Aleutian Islands) 



Year 



Recent average yield and current potential yield 

 equal the 1994-97 average catch, and the long- 

 term potential yield equals the 1 972-97 average. 



Figure 20-3 



Landings in metric tons (t) of 

 shrimp and snails in the Gulf 

 of Alaska and Bering Sea. 



2 1 1 



